


Atlas

by RozyHtaylor



Category: Call the Midwife
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, I'm Sorry, Lesbian Character, Old Friends, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-02-14 13:54:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13009242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RozyHtaylor/pseuds/RozyHtaylor
Summary: Patsy is a history teacher and Delia's Son just can't keep his mouth shut. What will happen with the 2 exlovers meet after 15 years with no contactOne-shot that no one asked for or wanted in anyway





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Have no real Idea what this is- had a dream a bt like this.

 

“Please use the dates on the board to create a timeline of events that lead up to the second world war” Miss Mount said for the 4th time to her year 9 class before turning back to the whiteboard and writing the next task up for them to read, the 14 year olds really didn’t care about anything this close to Christmas, her class didn’t contain the brightest sparks and for a brief moment she forgot why she became a teacher when. Thud. A rubber hit her ginger hair and for a split second sent a shudder down her spine. She didn’t even need to make eye contact to the class or even turn away from her whiteboard to know who it was.  
“Atlas” The ginger Londoner said before making sharp stern eye contact with the 14-year-old boy who didn’t even try to hide his smirk across his face. The boys that surrounded him were all trying to hide their instant smiles, and many of the class resorted to staring at the dates dotted over the page in front of them.  
The teenage boy just shrugged his shoulders and continued smiling almost sarcastically at his teacher of 4 month as he sat slumped at his vinyl desk-for-two, flicking at the tape that peeled from the side. They had never got along; Atlas never understood why he needed to learn about things like this, he didn’t really understand the topic. Someone dying others already dead. Maybe to do with a king?

He was Welsh everyone knew that, if it wasn’t given away by his smile his accent oozed out of ever word he spoke. There was something about the teenager that drew people to him. He was never stand-off-ish and most of the time knew where the line was. He was friendly faced, his freckles underneath his mop of hair and bright blue eyes made he look young yet wise. Him and others around his were slowly turning from boys to young men but he hadn’t got there yet, he was tall and starting to lose his stick like shape he grew up with.  
“You seriously going to just shrug your shoulders” she couldn’t believe the cheek of his boy, she had heard about him, with a name like Atlas, it was always going to be hard for him to go unnoticed but his many afternoons in detention meant he came with a warning to this new teacher. Miss Patsy Mount had found her way to the out skirts of bristol after she outgrew london, working at the London museum straight out of university meant she met some great people but they had all got on with there life. She had tried, dated a couple of times a few serious people but before she realised it she was nearly 40 and still hadn’t found herself so she became a teacher, to find what she wasn’t even sure anymore but when this job came up she couldn’t help but packing up her things and heading to a place of many memories and so many strangers.  
“You said my name” The boy replied. He had a headphone in but appeared to have put pen to paper, which was more then some. His uniform was never up to scratch with his Vans not making school policy and his black jeans.

To some the classroom was there salvation, where they could let there minds function but to Atlas he wanted to be outdoors, he wasn’t made to read lines or remember dates, he made people laugh he played football and rugby having to do both in order to keep his English Farther and very welsh mother happy but he didn’t mind. Classrooms were not his thing, they never had been.  
“Just get out Atlas, I don’t have the time or energy to deal with you today, parenting evening is in a few weeks but I will phone your Mum tonight” He couldn’t help but roll his eyes  
“Have fun getting hold of her” The boy said before grabbing his Nike bag and laughing a little between making small talk on his way out of the classroom.

Cocky, that how he was always described.

Class continued one as the 1 O’clock history lesson always did. The tasks remained half finished as the bell went and the teenagers started to pack up subtly looking at their phones laughing and getting ready to make the bus journey home.

* * *

 

“Have you ever phoned Mrs Spencer?” Patsy Mount asked other teachers in the staffroom while on her hunt for the phone number off the Mum.

“Lovely women” A maths teacher piped up from her stack of marking, she was trying to give the new arriving teacher some hope. Delia was a lovely women, but her love didn’t mean she was strict just meant she had a lot of love.

“Okay” Patsy Mount said smiling a little.

“Works long hours though” The women said looking up from her marking briefly. The ginger teacher just smiled a little bit before dialling the number on the screen in front of her.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The phone rings again, the Mam had never been able to workout how to change it so it was tinny and grating. The first time she let it go, she wasn’t often at home this early on a Monday, not as a family anyway. But after the 3rd call it demanded that she left her dinner and go to her phone. After reading the number she couldn’t help but shout into the dining room to wear her family was sat

“What did you do?”  
“I didn’t do anything”  
“I swear to god if your Dad has given you cigarettes to sell again I will kill you both” She could help but smile at her son.  
“That was one time,” A grown Man shouted from the same direction as her son. She rolled her eyes before answering the phone.

“Hello, I am sorry for whatever my Son has done or what he was caught doing”  
“Hello Its Miss Patsy Mount calling from Nonnatus School, I am calling to talk about Atlas. I know we have parents evening soon but he seems to have a fascination with aiming rubbers at the back of my head and I find it all very distracting when I was trying to teach”  
“Patsy Mount” Delia said gulping, the Patsy mounts. Patsy her first love Mount, they went to university today, okay it was 16 years ago. So many of Delia’s first was with this women yet she didn’t know what to say.

There was a pause for what felt like a lifetime as Delia tried to process things.

“Mrs Spencer” The voice Delia now recognised echoed in her ear hitting every part of her body, hiding in ever crack, between every bone, in every cell. Something about the tone of the voice, the way it still sounded old fashioned after all this time made the women almost want to try.  
“Hoch darn it, I hope I didn’t hang up” Patsy Mount said causing Delia to snap out of his trance.  
“Sorry, no I am still here. And I am sorry for what my Son did. He is a good kid. Pats…Patsy… Miss Mount” Delia couldn’t help what words left her mouth.  
“Its needs to be sorted, we will have to come up with a plan otherwise I very much doubt he will make it to the end of this year in my classroom. I have avoided phoning you for several months now but I am at my wits end with him now and if he doesn’t make it though my class I don’t know who else will take him. ”  
“Okay, we will talk discuss it more at parents evening but he is about to get it in the ear from me”  
“Well have a good night Mrs Spencer”  
“And you Miss Mount. And, I am sorry about Atlas”

 

With that the phone went dead, for a few seconds Delia stood by her cell in silence. She couldn’t believe who was teaching her son, she couldn’t believe whom her son though a rubber at. That thought very quickly send her back to the real world.  
She walked back into the room where her husband and Child sat; she gave her son a sharp smack around the back of the head. A gesture of love, Atlas couldn’t help but smile.

“History”  
“Miss Mount”  
“You hit her in the head with a Eraser”  
“Was it a good shot?” Tom Spencer said smiling at his son before getting his sharply in his shin by the women he loved. “Is obviously not a question I should ask my Son?” The Bomb man said, he was obviously joking but neither of them had been obviously strict with their only child. They hadn’t been together too long before the short welsh girl fell pregnant. Would they have worked without a child? Maybe not, but they laughed a lot and travelled and were happy. Their life was happy, was it was Delia always wanted. No. But, she was happy. After university ended and all her friends went there separate ways she needed to find people and this was the outcome 15 years later.  
“Just don’t do it again, and don't even bother tell me it was an accident.”  
“Yes Mam”

 

 

* * *

_**Parents evening.** _

 

After her husband had to work late, she was going to parents evening on her own. Something that she wasn’t not used too but as her son had got on older and taller having her army, bomb disposal, husband wasn’t a bad thing. She was a ditsy midwife with an accent that was getting more welsh the longer she was away from her home town.  
Parents evening were draining, she loved Atlas, she loved him, and he was a mummy’s boy. Always had been, he loved his life but just didn’t want to be in school, he couldn’t understand why it was needed yet he still had to go FOR FREE (as he pointed out many morning) for at least 14 of his life.

 

‘He just needs to concentrate’

‘We have moved him away from his friends’

‘He can talk to anybody, very social’

‘Sometimes a little bit off a smart-ass’

 

Were just a few of the many comments made by teachers year and year and this year was no different. That’s when she saw her, the ginger haired women, with eyes that could break a million heart and yet unlock doors to the deepest most forgotten parts of Delia’s soul. Delia was openly bisexual, an open fact in all aspects of her life, her son knows and was brought up with pride. It was the first thing that she said to her now other half of 15 years. To which all he replied was ‘cool, you still want to date me though right?’ Patsy Mount was a Religion and history student the year above the welsh nurse in London Met university. They shared many nights together and many days, Delia couldn’t understand why the women hadn’t put they pieces together, it all made sense to the welsh women. But why would Patsy work out that a woman in Wales with a teenage son was the woman she had dated for 2 years 16 years ago.

 

“One left” Atlas Spencer said. “I forgot how hard parents evening was”  
“Parents evening would be easier if you kept your mouth shut” Delia said death staring her son, who was several inches taller than her by now. He pushes her into and put his arm around his mother giving her an awkward but loving hug.  
“That would be boring Mam, and you always said you hate boring”  
“You always did get your Dads…” The sentence was left unfinished as the words  
“Atlas Spencer” Left Miss Mount’s mouth, Atlas stood up first letting out a sigh before his mother turned around.  
“Delia Busby” The words left the teachers mouth too fast and before her brain had even caught up with everything else. Delia looked at the women she used to love but didn’t say anything. Sometimes things were best left unsaid after all this time.

 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently this now has more than one chapter. I am honestly not sure if this will become a full complete story but let me know what you think   
> \- R

Both the girls gulped, hoping it would be a lot more subtle than it was. All the years were flooding the welsh girls thoughts. All of a sudden silence fell in the hall, her mind flee back to university. Instant laughter filled her mind. Evenings in the library with a mysterious redhead. Days where her and her ex lover would eat pizza watch old rom coms and talk about the future like there was not going to be anything in there way. But there was. Real life, life that couldn’t help but happen when they both needed to grow and get jobs and live like adults. As adults they didn’t want the same thing and the laughter stopped happening. It was 2 years of both there lives, some of it in laughter. All the parts that Delia was currently flashing back to was laughter, smiles. Patsy graduated a year before her girlfriend at the time, she was more clueless then she had ever been in her life. Degree in her hand with no idea what to do. It was the beginning of the end for the lovers. But at that moment Delia just hears the women’s laughter. The split up like every couple does, lack of communication and too many misunderstandings. They spoke a bit until Delia went back to Wales, but the laughter wasn’t the same, there guards were up. Delia’s heart wasn’t the same but to her Patsy Mount seemed un scaved, she would hear stories of Patsy’s latest girl of Trixie one of their mutual friends she lost contact with years ago. Patsy was stubborn but there relationship brought out a passion that wasn’t always health and that she didn't see for 16 years. 

“Mum I’m sorry about this one in advance” Atlas. Delias son said, breaking his Mam without realising it back to the real world. Real life. The life where she was happily married.   
“That’s your teacher” Delia gulped trying not to stare too much at the women she used to know. Used to love.   
“She’s from london, lived in hong kong, well travel - she tells us often enough” Her son continues to talk in his Mam's ear as they walk slowly over to the desk where he was going to get his final public bollacking for the evening.   
“And your from pembrokeshire” Delia said looking at her son, half hoping she said it loud enough for his teacher to put 2 and 2 together. Unbeknown to Delia she already had.   
“Dad says Im bristol born and breed”  
“And you know what I tell you about listening to you Dad” delia said smiling hitting her son playfully by the arm.   
“Don’t unless he’s repeating what you say” Atlas said smiling. He was very grateful for his Mam. She was unique and every so often embarrassing but she had been through a lot, so was always fair on him. Always honest and always did her best. His friends were jealous of his parents and it was something he was somewhat proud off.   
“Am I interrupting something?” Miss Patsy Mount said as her ex lover and her Son sat down in front of her. Less than an arm's reach away. Her voice was as brass as ever. Atlas started to roll his eyes before the midwife slapped his leg as subtle as she could.   
“No, sorry. It’s been one of those day” Delia couldn’t help but say, it felt like she should be talking to her old friend over a cup of coffee not about her child over a tatty old desk.  
“I do appreciate that Dels..Mrs Spencer” Patsy mount was trying so hard to be professional, she was trying. Not trying enough, Atlas noticed the slip up and couldn't help but look between his Mam and the ginger haired teacher he wasn’t a big fan off “But I really do need to talk about your son’s behaviour. There is only so many times I can be hit by stationary before it becomes a serious matter”

 

The poor teenager couldn’t help but laugh, he was trying so hard to keep a straight face but he was nearly at his breaking point…. A death glare shot at him by the midwife shut him up faster than he ever thought he could. Atlas gulped, the same way his Mam did just minutes earlier.   
“I am really sorry” Was all the poor midwife could say.  
“I am sorry” Her son said, trying his best to take the cheek out of his voice.   
“This is an important year for students and we like to have parent input. I would like to hope Mrs Spencer that you are on bored with this education program” Patsy said in her monotone voice, she was trying to take the passion out of her voice. Put on a front, forgot who she was talking to.   
“I love my Son Miss Mount and want nothing more that for him to be successful, I am on board with whatever you want to do in order to keep him in your class” Delia said now looking directly into her Ex’s eyes. She wasn't sure what had come over her. With every other teacher, it was just a chat. Sometimes felt like more of a catch up. Delia wished she could change her son but she could not. She was a good parent and the cheek that a teacher. A woman that she once spoke about having children with. Was suggesting otherwise was an outrage in her head.   
Atlas was now akwalky looking around as his Mam and the teacher he didn't really like started having a debate about that in the welsh nurses mind was just offensive.   
“Patsy I don't know if you are bitter or something but please stop with the implications that I am a bad parent.”  
Atlas shot around before this teacher, Patsy even had time to reply. Why had his Mam just called his teacher by her first name. That wasn’t a thing. She definitely shouldn't have done that .  
“And don’t worry about keeping him in your class, if you can’t handle him. He will just have to go into isolation for you lessons. My Son is a smart Kid and if you can’t see that, I am sorry to say that's your loss.” 

Silence, fell over the teacher.   
“Come on Atlas, let's go home.” The midwife who was still in scrubs from working the day walked out, trying not to cry. Patsy had stayed emotionless yet Delia was on the verge of having a breakdown. Her Son didn’t really understand the last 10 minutes of his life, and he knew his Mam which meant he probably wasn’t going to get a good explanation. 

They sat in the car, not moving anywhere. Delia wiped one tear that was dripping down her face away before looking at her son.   
“How about we don’t tell your Dad about the last one? If we do, he will never trust me to do school events alone again” The midwife said smiling. In reality her husband would probably give her a big hug. He knew the story of Patsy Mount. He had seen photos of Patsy Mount. To him he was just someone from Delias past, it was that simple.   
“If you don’t tell him about the Maths one, I won't mention you VS Miss Patsy Mount” The boy smirked. 

He was still too young to understand Patsy mount and even in his wildest stories he never would have put the story together.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am going though my laptop and I found what I am assuming is the next chapter of this old fic, I doubt anyone will still read it but there is another chapter after this is people want it

His behaviour didn’t change but Miss Mount avoided phoning Delia again, she wasn’t sure if the midwife recognised her and that was enough to avoid seeing her.

“Mam, you could have just binned it?” Delia said as her mother arrived at her home with a large box. “If I haven’t used it since University I’m pretty sure I don’t need it now” Delia continued. Her mam wasn’t listening. They had driven up for Christmas as her mother did during every holiday season.

“Me and Your father are trying to clear the loft cariad, for when we die. Just to say time” The women replied very matter of factly much to her daughter’s horror.  
“Delia at uni now this is something I want to see” Tom said taking the box off his mother in law and placing it on the living room floor.  
“Atlas, come and help me” Tom screamed up the stairs.  
“Nice to see he’s finally home on a Christmas dear” Delias mother said. At first Delia thought her mother just hated Patsy because of the gay thing but after 15 years with a man she just decided her mother wasn’t going to like anyone unless they were a welsh farmer than worked in Pembrokeshire and earnt enough that Delia didn’t need to work. Tom had learnt not to take it personally.  
“I would have gone away if I knew you were coming down” The bomb man said smiling, Delia laughed a little bit before realising her mother didn’t find it funny at all.

“I never know what you saw in that boy” Her mother said a little loudly than she thought she did.  
“Your about 15 years late on the intervention Mam” Delia said giving her Mam a hug. It was going to be a long weekend both the couple thought to themselves. “And you got a grandchild”  
“I only got one though Cariad, and you named him after a book” the women said brassily. “Speaking of which, where is he?”  
“Next year we are going on holiday” Tom whispered to his wife.  As if he heard his grandmother's voice echoing through the townhouse he walked down the stairs.

“Hey Nana” The boy said not overly pleased to see the slightly overbearing women.  
“Ooh presents” the teenager said looking at the stuff on the living room floor.  
“Not quite kid, its your Mams old University stuff” Tom replied.  The box stayed in the middle of the floor for days, Delia knew that there were memories in there she didn’t want to relive, and Tom was waiting until his mother in law left before going though and taking the mick of his wife.

* * *

 

 

“Hey, my dear, make it down all okay?” Trixie said as she open her front door on Christmas eve to her best friend.  
“Yes, thank you, I forgot how good the tube is” Patsy said hugging her best friend. God how she had missed this.  
“Aunt Patsy is here” She shouted to her household. Patsy and Trixie were dorm mates, the house mates and even though they couldn’t be more different they got along like a house on fire even now.

Trixie had a step son and a daughter. Both of which filled her house. Her husband an Irish plumber. A widower too young found love again in the slightly ditsy art history student, who got her masters then her PHD before getting a job. Henry and Bay where the closest thing Patsy had to children and she liked being their cool aunt. Trixie had been in Henry’s life since he was 2 and had never seen Trixie in the stereotypical stepmom fashion.  
“Alright Pats” Henry said barely taking his eyes of his phone as he walked out the kitchen and up the stairs.  
“Patsy” A girl said running down the stairs for Patsy to scoop her up and give her a hug. The 8-year-old was sometimes seen as a minor miracle. She wasn’t planned, Trixie and Rowan had ruled out having children then on her 30 th birthday they found out they were going to be parents again.  
“you alright baby girl” Patsy said, instantly feeling better.   


As the children went to bed Patsy, Trixie and Rowan sat around the dining room table with a bottle of red wine, waiting for silence before they make Santa real.  
“So, how’s the new job?” Trixie asked taking a swig of her drink.  
“So I have a bitch of a year 9 student, who turns out to be Delia Busby’s son” Patsy said pouring herself more wine. Without thinking Trixie spat her wine across the dining room table.  
“Like his literally has a game of throwing rubbers at my head and doing fuck all” The ginger continued. “And at parents evening I was so overwhelmed by the fact that she was there I didn’t full tell her what a horrible being her son is.” Patsy said causing Rowan to laugh a little bit.  
“The Delia Busby? The midwife who trampled on your heart” Rowan asked  
“That’s the one”  
“So have you spoke to her?” Trixie asked.  
“What do I say to her, I don’t even think she has made the connection and I don’t blame her” Patsy said taking a swig of her wine.  
“Mate if that kid find out that you used to fuck his Mum you won't hear the end of it” Rowan said.  
“What beautiful advice from my husband there” Trixie said laughing. That was the only time Delia Busby who wasn't Delia busby anymore came up while the ginger teacher stayed at her best friends house over the holidays. She always appreciated being allowed to stay and always felt welcomed but the older she got the more re realised she didn't have a family of her own, that one year if her best friend went on holiday she would be alone for Christmas and she was always told you should never be alone for Christmas. 

 

-x-x-

January 2ND

“Hun are we going to ever move that box of your Uni crap of the floor, it's been there longer than the Christmas decorations”  
“Mam, Dad said the word Crap” Atlas said as the pair were watching the football.  
“Yeah I will go though it now” Delia said smiling at her family, she was long over the pettiness that was currently taking place between her teenage son and her husband. He had taken leave over the holidays to be nice but after 2 weeks with both her husband and her cocky hormone filled son at some 24/7 she couldn't wait for reality to start again. It was a long weekend with her mother here and she was rather glad when her car left the driveway.

Delia sat on the living room floor taking out an old university jumper, that was 3 sizes too big. Immediately she decided it wasn’t hers.  
“I knew you lost weight but seriously D how did you lose 3 inches in height at the same time” Tom said causing Delia to laugh, sometimes just for a split second she couldn’t help but wonder what her life would have been like if she had stayed in London, but then she looks around her house and cant help but remember.  
“It wasn’t mine” Delia said staring at her husband hoping he would get the hint that the question didn’t need to be finished. If he did he was playing dumb, very fucking dumb the welsh women thought to herself.  
“Oh my god, half this stuff is from that bird you used to date” Her husband replied, quite proud of himself for making that connect. Delia wasn’t surprised that he didn’t get the hint.

“Is there photos of that hot women you used to date in there Mam?” Her teenage son said now looking at box of stuff on the floor.  
“No, its fine” Delia said trying to shut the conversation down as soon as possible.  
“Okay, now I’m interested” Tom spencer said, sitting down on the floor opposite his wife. Her eyes widened at the thought of her teenage son working out that she used to date his teacher, that he hated.  
“Just leave it, it can all go up in the loft first thing tomorrow. I have to get ready for my night shift.” She said pushing the box to one side and getting up to put her scrubs on.

“MAM!! WHY ARE YOU KISSING MISS MOUNT!!!” A voice echoed from down stairs as the midwife put her hair up into the required bun. She let out a large sigh. She did not have time for that conversation.  Slowly she wandered down the stairs looking into the living room to find the box of university stuff scattered out on the floor and her teenage son holding a polaroid of her and Patsy mount kissing, she instantly knew where it was from. A new year eve party in their 3 rd year. Less than 2 months before Delia moved her stuff out of the place they shared. She wasn’t even sure who took the photo but for reason she remembered that evening, she wasn’t drinking, she was on placement and had mad to argue with 2 scrub nurses to get the night off just to spend the entire day arguing over fuck all with the person that was meant to be her person.    


  
“So that's the reason she hasn't called to complain about our son, I knew it wasn't due to his ‘improved behaviour’” Her husband said, he didn't seem upset, that was a good sign. He seemed calm that was also a good sign she thought to herself.    
“You thought it was because of my improved behaviour” 


End file.
